Young women from around Connecticut competed in the Miss Connecticut USA and Miss Connecticut Teen USA pageants Saturday at the Palace Theatre in Stamford .

The pageants serve as preliminaries to the prestigious Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants.

“I love the fact that the Miss Universe organization is all about empowering women and motivating women to be confident and to be their best selves,” said attendee Sheree Shields Farrell.

This year marked the first pageants under Miss Connecticut’s new director, Carla Crawford.